#archival update

Statement of Impulse [surname unknown], Senior Archival Assistant at the Void Institute, regarding the hiring of Archival Assistant Grian.

[Pearl] It’s strange, having someone else down here in the archives with me. I’ve been alone for so long I forgot anyone else could work in this department. Sometimes he talks and I’m not expecting it and I practically jump out of my skin. Sometimes he appears where I think he isn’t and I have to go and make a cup of tea before my heart rate settles down again—I started with coffee, but at that point it was happening so often I almost gave myself caffeine poisoning and decaf is an abomination, so I switched.

Statement of False Symmetry, regarding a ghost town encountered on a road trip.

[Pearl (Statement—False)] As I made my way down the main street, I noticed there were no people. I mean, it was a very small town, so maybe everyone was inside? At least that’s what I thought at the time. But there were no cars in sight, all the lights were turned off or broken, every curtain was drawn and every door was closed. The gas station was pitch dark and still as the dead—I was almost expecting crickets to start chirping or a tumbleweed to roll by, like you’d see in an old cartoon.

Statement of W. Knight, regarding a stalker with his own face.

[Pearl] I saw him across the street, at first. I didn’t think anything of it the first time; he was sitting on the porch of a house across the street, two doors down, smoking. I just thought he was a neighbor’s friend I hadn’t seen before. I should have—there was no way I could have, but I should have known better! Maybe if I had, my neighbor would still be alive.

Statement of XB Crafted, Administrative Assistant at the Void Institute, regarding a brief stay in Joe Hills' library. Original statement given March 31st, 2021.

[Pearl] How long have I been wondering about the man behind that nameplate? How long have I been building him up in my mind as some kind of monster? His books destroyed me, and I’ve hated him—or at least the idea of him—ever since. So I’m sure you can imagine that waking up in his body was a bit of a shock.

Statement of Tango Tek, regarding a brief episode of color blindness. Original statement given December 30th, 2019.

[Pearl] I was watching my feet for the most part—I wasn’t willing to risk mis-stepping in my haste and falling. It would be too easy to twist an ankle and be stuck there. But that meant that by the time I noticed the wisps of fog swirling around my ankles, it was far too late.

Statement of Xisuma Void, Head of the Void Institute, regarding a visit to the home of Archival Assistant Grian, surname unknown. Original statement given June 1st, 2019.

[Pearl] I suppose I should start by saying that I do not typically visit my employees in their homes. That would be… odd, at best. But Grian doesn’t have quite the same living situation as the rest of my staff; he’s the caretaker and sole resident of the Fairground. So I suppose it was less a matter of visiting him at his home, and more of visiting an event site shortly before a new event to see if I could help with any setup. It’s just that the event site also happens to be the showrunner’s personal residence.

Statement of Skizz M., regarding a very strange axe. Original statement given June 10th, 2021.

[Pearl] I'm sure it was a normal axe at one point, Ren didn't seem to lose it until he named the thing, but by the time I saw it, it was wrong.

Statement of Evil Notion, regarding a series of bad dreams. Original statement given July 10th, 2021.

[Impulse] I don't know how many times I've died. How many Fridays has it been? How many times did I die each time? Average ten, maybe, call it... I don't know. Hundreds, at least. I can't tell them apart anymore. I don't know how many times I've killed, either, and I wouldn't even know where to start with that math.